DONALD ORNELLAS Obituary

DONALD CLIFFORD ORNELLAS 92, of Aiea, HI, passed away on January 31, 2026. Born in Waipahu, HI, he graduated from Waipahu High School in 1951. After earning his B.Sc. in Engineering from UH Manoa (1958), he served in the U.S. Army for 2 years. Beginning his bridge design career in 1960 at the Hawai`i State Department of Transportation, he earned his structural and civil engineering licenses and designed and coordinated upgrades for numerous bridges before officially retiring in 1999. As a private contractor, he provided additional bridge design and retrofitting services to the DOT until his second retirement in 2021. Donald is survived by his wife and world travel partner of 64 years, Patricia, daughter, Nancy (Zeb)--sons Michael and James and grandsons David and Jonathon, who both served as his caregivers during his final monthsplus numerous nieces and nephews. A Funeral Mass will be held on March 13, 2026 at St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church, Aiea at 10:00AM, Visitation 8:45AM. Burial at 2:00PM at Hawai`i State Veterans' Cemetery - Kane`ohe. Don's lifelong passions were engineering, math, history and travel; he believed these all hold powerful lessons for us all. NOTE: In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Hawai`i Food Bank.